When Brevard S. Childs, Sterling Professor of Divinity at Yale, pioneered his groundbreaking canonical approach to biblical commentary, he created what many consider the most influential and original treatment of Exodus in modern scholarship. This landmark volume in the prestigious Old Testament Library series represents nearly twenty years of research, study, and reflection, resulting in a commentary that "inaugurates a new age in the exegesis of biblical literature." Unlike traditional commentaries that focus primarily on historical-critical analysis, Childs takes an entirely original approach that includes form-critical sections examining the growth of tradition, consideration of the text's meaning in its present canonical form, and exploration of its significance within the total Old Testament context. His pioneering "canonical criticism" method has influenced an entire generation of biblical scholars and continues to shape contemporary theological interpretation.

What makes Childs' work exceptional is its comprehensive treatment of every important critical and theological problem while maintaining an unabashedly theological purpose: to understand Exodus as Scripture of the church. His approach combines rigorous attention to text and source criticism, syntax and grammar, history and geography with profound theological insight that serves both the scholarly community and the church. The Expository Times notes that "a vast store of biblical and theological learning is compressed into the book, making it an invaluable guide to the book of Exodus in its contents and in the way they have been understood by Jews and Christians." The commentary's fresh redaction-criticism and insistence that redaction-criticism influences exegesis represents a methodological breakthrough that continues to influence biblical scholarship today.

Whether you're engaged in advanced theological research, teaching courses on Pentateuchal literature, or seeking to understand how Exodus functions as canonical Scripture within the broader biblical narrative, this commentary provides the theological depth and scholarly rigor that serious biblical study demands. Childs' work serves as both an "old standard" and a continuing source of fresh insights, offering what one reviewer calls "a mine of historical interpretation of Exodus" that remains "theologically rich" decades after publication. This is the commentary that belongs in every serious theological library—a work that combines the highest levels of scholarship with profound theological reflection on Scripture's foundational narrative of liberation and covenant.